We build power among black gay men and stand in solidarity with all movements committed to racial and social justice.

Our Mission

The Counter Narrative Project builds power among black gay men and works in solidarity and coalition with all movements committed to social and racial justice.

Our History

The Counter Narrative Project was founded on April 21, 2014 in Atlanta, GA. Charles Stephens founded CNP to create a political home for black gay men. In the first year, the Counter Narrative Project took on a number of initiatives including hosting a screening of Tongues Untied and organizing an intergenerational discussion between black gay men. Additionally, CNP selected Georgia Equality to become their fiscal sponsor and recruited their first advisory board. From the beginning CNP was committed to the three themes that would continue to shape our work: collective memory, cultural organizing, and political education.

Our Vision

The Counter Narrative Project was founded in 2014 to create a political home for black gay men and our allies. We believe that storytelling is critical to social change, and by amplifying the voices of black gay men, we are shifting the public narrative. So very often stories have been told about us, the work of the Counter Narrative Project is to ensure that we are the authors of our own narratives, that we are in charge of our stories. At the Counter Narrative Project we also believe in the power of collective memory as a way to respond to collective trauma. We stand in the tradition of the 1980s black gay cultural renaissance, and see our work as a love letter to our ancestors like Essex Hemphill, Marlon Riggs, and Joseph Beam.

The Counter Narrative Project is committed to building power in our communities.